Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-06-02
CHRISTIAN LIBERTY.

s~The True Doctrine Is Not Our Right to
Think for Ourselves. But the Right of the
Other Man to Think for Himself"
The impression very widely prevails
that the battle for Christian liberty has
been fought and won. So far as re-
CARDS precaution of the more active
kind. this is the case in the larger part
of the civilized world. Men are no
longer deprived of their rights citi-
zens, still less subjected to fines and
imprisonment and even to death, be-
cause they hold and teach opinions
that differ from those entertained By
the majority. The right of the minor
ity to free speech and free action in the
line of conscientious conviction is, in
theory at least, conceded.
But it is mistake to assume that
because harsh laws have been softened.
human nature has been radically
changed. The grosser forms of perse-
cution have disappeared. but suBtler
forms remain. The intolerant spirit
has survived the death of many institu-
tons by which intolerance was once
manifested. Christian liberty is still.
in considerable degree, conceded on
ly in theory. Men still endeavor to
punish those who have the temerity to
differ from them.
There is no cause for astonishm ent
ut this manifestation of inconsistency.
1t is one of the curious things in hui
h;c.ar,- 70 hn II,
the prosecuted have. become in
turn prosecutors the moment the
power was lodged in their hands.
And why? Because the true
principle of Christian liberty had
not been grasped, and is to this day
apprehended only a few. The right
of any body of men to differ in opinion
from others has always been claimed
by them; there is no novelty in that.
From the beginning. every Christian
sect that has arisen has vehemently
contented for its right to differ from
Others. 1t has protested against per-
secution-that is to say. the persecu-
ton of itself by others. But in few
cases has any sect conceded the right
of Others TO differ from it. or forborne
to prosecute when it had the power.
And in our own day. each man is
prompt to claim and assert the right
to think for himself, but how 10th
most are to coacede the equal right of
all other men to thiak for themselves.
Every one resentS any attempt to
cOerce him into the avowal of any
thing that he does not honestly be-
lieve. but how few of us fail at one
time or another TO attempt thus to
coerce others
The true doctrine of Christian liberty
is not our light to think for ourselves.
hat the right of the other man to think
for himself There is no danger now
that our right will not be insisted upon
and enforced. particularly flour think
ing happens to fall in with that of the
majority. Ii is the other mans liberty
that is in danger, particularly if he hap
pens to be in the minority. 1t is his
liberty that demands defence at all haz-
ards; for. if liberty is denied him, how
long will it be conceded to us?
To demand liberty for the other man.
even when he differs from us, is not to
admit that truth and error are essen
italy one. or to deny that it is of great
consequence what the other man be-
iieves and teaches. 1t may be our duty |
TO oppose with all our might what he |
teaches. to depoUnce it as deadly error.
But this may be done without identify |
ing the man with what he teaches. and |
without the display of spirit of in
tolerance and persecution We need |
not try to make the man odious be- |
cause his opinion Is odious to US. To
be loyal to the truth. and yet faithfully
to recognize the equal rights of all men
to free thought and free speech. is not
always an easy task. The two may,
however. be combined. And nothing
csn be more certain than that the